In appreciation of his contribution to his country, the
expatriate Sri Lankan community around the world and his alma-mater, St.
Joseph's College, Colombo, a memorial service for Andrew James Joseph former
Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP New York USA, will
be held on Friday May 31, 2002 at the Chapel of St. Joseph's College, Colombo at
6 p.m.

It is organised by the Old Boy's Union of St. Joseph's
College with the co-operation of friends of Andrew Joseph in the US.

A condolence book will be available at the chapel for
attendees to sign.

Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan in his
message for the memorial service for Andrew James Joseph states:

'We meet today to remember and honour an international
civil servant who could himself be called an institution.

'Andrew James Joseph - "AJJ", as many of us knew
him - had a formative influence on the United Nations. As if that were not
enough, he also changed the lives of those around him, and helped them see the
future in a hopeful light.

'Andrew served the United Nations with devotion and
distinction from 1958 until his retirement in 1990. Most of us - myself included
- would come up short were we to try summarise, in one sitting, his myriad
achievements and extraordinary traits as a leader. But one milestone comes
easily to mind. In 1979, when many other international organisations left
Afghanistan, he insisted on remaining in Kabul, thus demonstrating not only his
courage, but also what many of his peers remember as his most extraordinary
gift, his shrewd political foresight.

'Those of us who had the good fortune to work with Andrew
also remember his great intellect, and a gentleman of integrity and honesty.
These gifts were not limited to the workplace. I don't think Andrew would object
if I were to stress that, in addition to this achievements as a civil servant,
Andrew was also a family man par excellence.

'To Sue, Ravindra, Nilufer, Peter, Ann and Andrew's six
grandchildren, the past few weeks will have been a time of great sadness. But it
is my hope that this day will not pass without due recognition of Andrew's
multi-sided legacy. Indeed, while we are gathered here on an occasion of
mourning, we cannot but also feel a sense of admiration as we remember his life.
Such is the passing of a truly great man that death conjures not only sorrow but
a sense of pride among all those who had the benefit to share in his legacy. It
is in this light that all of us can be proud - that we had the privilege to
learn from such a talented leader, and that we could come to know, and be
inspired by, an extraordinary human being.

'Andrew James Joseph, died on March 23, 2002 after a brief
illness. He was 78 years.

'Andrew Joseph, or 'AJJ' as he was known to legions of
staff in the Organisation who had served with him in his beloved Asia Bureau,
joined the United Nations System in 1958, after a distinguished ten years in the
Ceylon Civil Service (CCS), holding various senior positions in the Ministries
of Finance, Health, and Food and Agriculture. In 1959 he was appointed to the
World Health Organisation (WHO), and served both at WHO headquarters and in
WHO's Regional Office in Alexandria, Egypt.

'In 1989, Administrator William H. Draper III appointed
him as Under-Secretary-General and Associate Administrator of UNDP, where he
served until his retirement the following year in 1990.

Indefatigable and dedicated in his service to the UN
system, Andrew Joseph accepted the request of the then Director-General of WHO
to return to serve his old agency as Director of the WHO Office to the United
Nations in New York in 1992, retiring for a second and final time in 1998.

'In a UN career spanning nearly four decades, Andrew
Joseph epitomised the very best traditions of the international civil service.
He left a legacy of excellence, fairness and decency reflected in part by the
many "graduates of the AJJ school" who continue to serve in the
system, including several at senior most echelons. Always sartorially elegant
and eloquent in expression while possessed of a near puckish sense of humour,
few can lay claim like Andrew Joseph to have been so widely respected and loved
while garnering such fierce loyalty from the many colleagues who came to work
with him in the course of his long and varied career, states Mark Malloch Brown,
Administrator United Nations Development Programme.